Sky Sports’s popular Soccer Saturday show will look very different from the start of the 2020-21 season.While Jeff Stelling and Paul Merson will continue, Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas have all been dismissed.“We are changing some parts of our football coverage,” Sky confirmed on Wednesday. "Matt, Charlie and Phil have done a great job for us over the years, and they will leave us with our sincere thanks and very best wishes.”Stelling tweeted: "One of my saddest days ever at Sky Sports with the departure of three of my best mates. They have been part of a team that for me was the best."And plenty of football fans have taken to social media to express their disappointment at Sky’s decision.However, Arsenal legend - and experienced pundit - Ian Wright has gone viral for hitting out at those whose reaction to the news has been completely unacceptable.Wright has slammed the racially-driven abuse towards various black pundits - including Alex Scott and Micah Richards - in a video which, at the time of writing, has received more than 15,000 times and been ‘liked’ by 80,000 accounts."I've had to pull the car over,” Wright began. “The racism is going through the roof today."Somebody answer me this: what does Micah Richards, Alex Scott, Sol Campbell, Clinton Morrison or any other black pundit have to do with Sky's decision to get rid of these guys, all because three middle aged white guys have got the sack?"What have these guys done? Because a black person or woman might get the opportunity to do this job? Why are people upset?
"Alex Scott, for me, is easily one of the best prepared pundits out there. Easily."Micah Richards is the most exciting pundit we've seen in years."Keep their names out of your stinking, unbrushed teeth mouths. Matt Le Tissier, Charlie Nicholas, Phil Thompson, they've had an unbelievable run, it's been a great show. This happens to everyone in the industry."This is Sky's decision to evolve the show. And I wish them all the very best. Yes, you can be disappointed that it's come to an end for those guys, they've done brilliantly."But why does it have to be racially driven? What's it got to do with Black Lives Matter or the fact that black people may get an opportunity to get those jobs? What?"Watch Wright's video in full here...
Wright is obviously spot on. What have Alex Scott and Micah Richards got to do with Sky’s decision to get rid of Le Tissier, Nicholas and Thompson?
Let’s be honest: Soccer Saturday *is* in desperate need of freshening up and has been for some time now.
BT Sport’s equivalent Saturday afternoon show has been more enjoyable to watch over the past couple of seasons.
Alex Scott had previously tweeted on Wednesday…
And she reacted to Wright’s rant with four love heart emojis…
Richards, meanwhile, tweeted: “I saw I was trending today in relation to a brilliant & institutional Sky Sports TV show that I’ve never even been on. The underlying insinuation of tweets immediately linking mine & Alex Scott’s names makes for some uncomfortable truths. Peace and love.”